As a result of public consultation by the Queensland State Government disposable plastic straws, plates and cutlery are close to being banned in Queensland.
While straws, cutlery, plates and stirrers (for example, hot and cold drinks) are set to be banned straws or cutlery that form part of a product, for example a juice box with an attached plastic straw or a yoghurt with an attached plastic spoon under the lid, are excluded from this list.
As part of the legislation, schools and healthcare providers will be exempt from the ban.
Under the legislation, set to be debated in State Parliament next month, businesses caught selling plastic straws and cutlery after July 1, 2021, would be fined up to $6672.
With only three parliamentary sitting days left before the government goes into caretaker mode before the October 31 state election, it is unclear if the bill will pass before the election.
Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch previously said 94 per cent of submissions were in favour of banning single-use plastic items.
Many submissions to the inquiry called for more items to be added to the list, including plastic coffee cups, cigarette lighters, takeaway food containers and heavyweight plastic bags.
Some of those items were expected to be outlawed in phase two of the plastic crackdown as the legislation allows for other products to be banned in the future after public consultation.
The government are looking at other single-use plastic products and will be considering banning in the future coffee and other plastic cups, heavyweight ‘boutique style’ plastic shopping bags, some polystyrene packaging and takeaway food and drink containers and plastic balloon sticks.